About Our Umingan

Useful information about our humble abode.

Brief History of Umingan

In the first days of the town after harvest season, the primary settlers celebrated a thanksgiving feast to glorify the Almighty for their yield, their virtuous health, and the culmination of chaos. The townsfolk and strangers who attended the feast were pleased because there were plenty to eat and powerful drinks, such as Basi and Nipa wine from Mangaldan, a distant town then, poured freely. During the gathering, a man of significances stood up from among the celebrants and yelled,” Peace be with us for the Blessings of the Almighty God come to us. Abundance is with us and the turmoil has finished”. The geity townspeople in the gathering acclaimed and bellowed in response: “Yes, yes disorder has ceased.” In the Ilocano dialect, their acclamation is interpreted as: “Wen, wen, nagsardingen iti panagdakdakes, ti riribuk ti Inmingan.” The other guests who did not understand the language were confused and they clinched that the people were shouting the name of the place “Umingan”. That was the origin Umingan became the name by which the early settlement came to be known even unto this day. It is also a commemoration of the kind and generous UMINGAN, the patriarch of the settlement.

b.Creation of the Municipality

Further settlers came to Umingan and in the imminent years, the villages and “barangays” were established until the municipal government was organized.

They reformed into bigger groups throughout the entire locality and they named their locations based on their respective places of origin, like San Juan or Cabacnotanan,( both names were towns of origin in La Union) and the others with the name of plants that were found in great quantities in their neighborhood; Cabaritan or Baracbac or Cabalitian. ( a local name of a plant nor a tree).

Unfortunately, there was no record that shows the date when the municipality was originally founded for such purpose; nor could anybody among the old folks of the town today tell the date of its foundation. Some gave verifying information’s ; some, whether it may be about the middle of 1880 so as the first “cabezas de barangay” were unidentified.

c.Historical Affairs

Umingan was once covered by dense forest and was an ideal haven to outlaws coming from different places. It was hazardous during the early years to cross the threshold of the thick forest where outlaws abode. There were fierce carabaos or simarons, wild bears, venomous snakes and even headhunters. Despite this unsafe environment, the early settlers made their forest clearings.

The early residents of the place were the courageous and diligent Ilocanos who cleared the lands, planted different crops, and lived in the midst of the forest. There were no roads at that time and the people trekked on the trails by foot or on horse book. Many of them however, became victims of the bandits or head hunters.

The early settlers clear-cut big trees with their axes and bolos to make way for their clearings. “Kaingin” agriculture was practiced which reaped bountiful harvests.

Their water resouces, the rivers, the brooks, the creeks, and steams provided them with plenty of mudfish. The first settlers were the Umingan family who came from the coastal town of Mangaldan. They had their clearings on both sides of the river. Their friends and relatives helped them every harvest season which were later stayed and made their clearings paving the way for additional population. The settlement of Umingan became known not only for its bountiful harvest but also of the generosity of the Umingan family. The patriarch of the family was very kind to his “visitors” to whom he gave as much as their visitors could carry like dried and fresh meat of wild pigs and deer for free. Visitors going home from the Umingan settlement carrying rice and corn uttered that all the stuff came “From the village of the Uminga’s”.

In time, the population of the place increased and soon the criminals and outlaws made peace with the settlers and started their clearings, too.